Legal Focus

As the school year begins to wind down, many school transportation contractors are already making preparations for next school year. It is no question that school transportation contractors are continuing to feel the effects of the nationwide school bus driver shortage, and so being able to secure drivers and ensure a fully operational staff at the start of the 2022-2023 school year is a primary concern. The summer months provide school transportation contractors with a great opportunity to eval...

For most school transportation contractors in Pennsylvania, the majority of transportation services are provided intrastate, i.e. within the bounds of state lines. However, contractors are often approached by school districts to transport students for extracurricular activities, such as sports or field trips, across state lines. This leaves some contractors wondering what, if any, additional requirements must be met in order to provide interstate transportation.

With the recent surge in the cost of fuel, school bus contractors nationwide have been closely monitoring the price at the pump over the last few months. When negotiating or renewing a transportation contract, fuel is typically a topic of significant dialog between the parties. School transportation contracts will normally specify who pays for fuel, but transportation contractors should also consider adding a fuel clause to address future fuel cost volatility.

A pending appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will challenge existing case law holding that there are no statutory requirements for Department of Education pre-approval of Pupil Transportation Contracts. The case of Bell v. Wilkinsburg School District will be heard in March of this year to decide this important issue. Continue reading for more details.

Spring sports are in high gear and summer is on the horizon. While this often means increased paychecks for drivers, this also means additional concerns for school bus contractors. The additional spring hours and summer jobs often lead to CDL drivers reaching hours of service limits more often than during other times of the year. This article will discuss hours of service limits for drivers and how contractors can make sure that their drivers remain compliant.Click Here to Read More

Despite continuing COVID limitations on access to the Nation’s Capitol, NSTA will once again be holding the annual bus-in in Washington DC April 6 through April 8, 2022. With the challenges of COVID, the critical driver shortage, and the aggressive push toward electric school bus fleets, there has never been a more critical need to educate law makers about the challenges and complexities of the school bus industry. Read further to learn how you can support advocacy efforts for the school bus i...

We are now in the heart of the 2021-2022 school year, and contractors are continuing to face the harsh reality of the nationwide driver shortage. Recently, FMCSA took action intended to enhance school bus driver recruiting and retention by waiving CDL skills testing requirements that tended to intimidate and discourage school bus driver candidates. On January 3, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) published a “Waiver of Certain Pre-Trip inspection Skills Test Requirements...